Content: Spanish
School: Denbigh High
Years Taught: 24

Why are you passionate about supporting fellow teachers?
I would not be who I am or where I am now without the support of mentors and colleagues. We have to lift each other up and support each other. The amount of education professionals who have left over the last few years has created a knowledge vacuum. We need veteran teachers to support and guide new teachers. We also need new teachers to re-energize us with new ideas and fresh perspectives.

What do you love most about teaching?
My students! At first, I thought it was all about teaching Spanish. That is still a primary goal – to bring a basic foundation and, hopefully, a love of learning a new language, to students – but I now understand that I am here for so much more than the curriculum. As a teacher, I am empathetic and energetic. I seem to be the teacher students come to when they need someone or something. I fight for them, sometimes whether they want me to or not. My students are my "Stucklings," and I tell them, "Once a Stuckling, always a Stuckling."

What is the best way to describe your classroom on a typical day?
My classroom is BUSY and noisy with activities to promote language learning and life skills. We have definite patterns and routines to our activities; students should know what is expected of them. At the same time, we have an immense variety of activities to reach a multitude of learning styles and needs; there is something for everyone.  I'm the teacher that sings and dances… Oh, yes. Come join in!

Content: French
School: Woodside High
Years Taught: 8.5

What do you love most about teaching?
Connecting with my students and fellow staff members brings me the most joy. Every day is different, every class is different, and every year presents new challenges and obstacles that require adaptation, innovation, and, above all, a willingness to listen. I absolutely love seeing students enter with self-doubt and disinterest and leave at the end of the year with confidence and curiosity. That makes my job oh so worthwhile!

What is the best way to describe your classroom on a typical day?
I always try to find ways to allow students to lead, whether the direction of the lesson, a small group, or in a class role. A good day is a day everyone leaves feeling a little more confident as a person and in the content area. I encourage students to work with new classmates and you will see me providing individual feedback to each student on how to improve upon their work. One of my favorite things to see and hear is a student encouraging or assisting a classmate, so I am always looking for ways to provide opportunities for that.

What word describes you as a teacher and why?
Growing. Every day, I learn something that helps me blossom into someone who can serve our students better.